1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a massage plant for the processing of chunks of meat and of the type that comprises a rotatable container provided with conveyors with flow paths for a fluid for adjusting the temperature of the container contents.
2. The Prior Art
Massaging plants for the processing of meat chunks by massaging brine into the meat is well known, cf. e.g., WO 89/08982 and GB-A 2 085 742 and EP-B 0 127 608.
During the mechanical massaging process, a fairly substantial amount of heat is generated, and the ambient temperature also heats up the meat. In order to counteract such heating, the containers are typically provided with a cooling jacket. On the outside of the cooling jacket, however, an ice layer is formed which is undesirable from a sanitary point of view. To avoid such ice layer formation the container is in some cases provided with an external insulation. In addition to increasing the cost of and complicating the construction, the insulation is also undesired for veterinary reasons. Another way of keeping the meat chilled is by means of vacuum and evaporation of an inert gas in the container. It goes without saying that it is not always desirable to use a gas in direct contact with the meat. Moreover the operation of the plant is not without difficulty, and the construction in itself makes comparatively severe requirements. To avoid these problems, it has even been attempted to encapsulate the entire plant in an insulated cabinet, which obviously not only is cost-raising but also complicates the operation procedure, since access to the plant is restricted by a door in the cabinet.
However, one plant with conveyors in the form of two oppositely oriented spiralling vanes is known, cf. GB-A 2 085 742, wherein the further development described U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,294 performs a chilling operation by circulating a coolant through a labyrinth in the spiralling vanes.
However, there are several aspects to the case, such as cleaning and inspection of the container, which are difficult in case of a container with spiralling vanes since inaccessible surfaces exist behind the turns.
In order for the container to obtain the desired degree of loading, the size of the container opening is usually very small, which complicates the cleaning and inspection. In some cases the containers are even arranged in an inclined position to obtain adequate loading, cf. U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,294 whereby the frontmost portion of the container remains fairly inoperative during the massaging process since the meat will collect at the bottom of the container.